A bronze horizontal dial with hour lines, quarter-hour marks and Roman hour numerals. Dial face includes a central compass rose. The dial sits atop a carved cedar totem depicting an Orca killer whale. The totem is carved in the Coastal Salish tradition by Aubrey LaFortune, a member of the Cowichan Band of native Canadians.

The dial was commissioned by the Royal Club of Victoria and donated for the garden in 2001. Volunteers created the herb garden in 1999; all the gardens at Government House are maintained by volunteers.